


Letters To and From Kirkwall

by FandomN00b



Series: Lost and Found: The Misadventures of Marian Hawke and Everyone She Meets [6]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Letters, Lost and Found DA2 endgame canon divergence, Post-DA2, Pre-Inquisition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25001311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandomN00b/pseuds/FandomN00b
Summary: In the months following the destruction of the Kirkwall Chantry and the subsequent Mage Rebellion, Hawke, who supposedly died in the explosion, and her friends and relations keep in touch via poorly-coded letters passed through a vast and unreliable network of friends.
Relationships: Fenris/Female Hawke, Fenris/Hawke (Dragon Age)
Series: Lost and Found: The Misadventures of Marian Hawke and Everyone She Meets [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1013661
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	1. Sending Word(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The "fugitive" Kirkwall crew sits down to write some letters to send back home to Kirkwall. Nobody seems capable of following basic instructions. What else is new?

Everyone but Hawke seemed absorbed in their letter writing as they sat crowded around their table at the Pearl. Zevran was to head back across the sea toward the Free Marches in the morning, and he had promised to deliver their correspondences himself so as to avoid any potential interception by Chantry or Templar loyalists. They didn’t need to know that he was, in fact, planning on meeting up with the Left Hand of the Divine for a friendly drink and to discuss some _mostly_ unrelated business along the way.

“Your brother and sister were _both_ quite impressive against the Knight-Commander, Champion.” Zevran mused. “Excellence seems to run in the family.”

“Carver?! You didn’t mention _he_ was there, too!”

“Ah, yes. My apologies. He was there with several other Wardens who just _happened_ to be passing through.” It had been good to see Alistair again, however briefly, and of course, Leliana, though she had requested he keep her presence in Kirkwall a secret.

Hawke was full-on pouting now. “It’s not _fair_ that they got to have all the fun taking down Meredith, while I was stuck on a ship with _this_ lot!”

Fenris shook his head and smiled to himself from across the table, while Varric and Isabela and Merrill just ignored her.

“I am sure they missed you.” Zevran smiled conciliatorily. “As well as the Guard-Captain. She very nearly didn’t let me leave once she realized I had seen right through the lie you left the poor woman behind to tell. I had to swear myself to secrecy.” He winked.

“She _is_ a formidable woman, isn’t she?” Isabela grinned up at him from the letter she was writing to Aveline, as promised.

“In _deed_.”

“Even if Man-Hands hadn’t given us away, I knew you’d eventually find the clues I left for you.”

“I hardly think your filthy undergarments stashed haphazardly around Kirkwall send a clear message,” Varric muttered without looking up from the note he was scribbling to his publisher.

“You just don’t understand our code!”

“Enlighten me, Rivaini…”

Isabela winked and stuck her tongue out at him as Zevran looked between the two of them in amusement. After spending the past few days with them, he was beginning to understand their relationship, and how it fit like a wonky puzzle piece within the dynamics of the entire ragtag group of them. He could finally see why Isabela had insisted on sticking around Kirkwall for so long, and why she was so anxious about everyone inevitably going their separate ways in the coming weeks. 

It made him miss the Hero of Ferelden and the rest of their band of misfits from the Fifth Blight. Sure, most of them still ran into each other from time to time, never missing an opportunity to catch up whenever their individual paths crossed, but it just wasn’t the same as when they had all been together at camp, laughing and crying and comforting each other through the darkness of those days.

Zevran sighed wistfully, pushing away from the table. “Well, I am headed out for the evening.”

“The Queen?” Isabela demanded. “Again?!”

“Ah, but discretion, mi amor!” He winked.

“Whatever. She wasn’t _that_ good.”

“ _That_ was nearly seven years ago...” Zevran grinned. “I will collect your letters first thing in the morning before I bid you all farewell.”

“Have fun!” Merrill chirped, while Isabela grumbled something about a blindfold and a feather duster.

\---

_Man-hands (‘the Bard’ wants me to call you ‘Red,’ but I have more respect for you than that…),_

_You told me to send word through someone trustworthy as soon as we were somewhere safe. Well, it seems you actually sent us that someone, so consider this my word. We are safe._

_How are things in Kirkwall? Has the dust settled? Are you Viscount yet? Are we outlaws or heroes? It was always so hard to tell when we were still ‘alive.’_

_Give our love to everyone (who’s left). And you still owe me a drink._

_XOXO_

_The Whore_

\---

_Sweet B,_

_I hope you’ve picked up on your sister’s condition. Though I doubt she’ll say so, I’m sure she’d love to have you around for the big event, and we’re working on figuring out a way to make that happen. Speak to our handsome messenger boy for more details. But don’t worry, if our scheming fails, Kitten seems completely up to the task._

_Love,_

_‘Bels_

\---

_Dear B ~~ethany~~ ,_

_Isabela is magnificent at sea, but I am so grateful to be back on solid land, with trees and their roots and other growing things. I don’t really know what's going to happen now, but I know that Isabela is my vhenan. And ~~I am~~ we are in love. With each other, I mean. And even if there is an ocean between us at times...I just know. You know? I don’t know what I know...but I do. Oh, I wish I could just ramble at you in person! I hope that you are doing as well as the rumors out of Kirkwall suggest!_

_Oh, and I do hope you’ll be able to come help Hawke when the time comes! I am terrible with babies!_

_Mythal protect you,_

_~~Merrill~~ _

~~__~~ _M_

_(V ~~arric~~ says we have to use some kind of code or something)_

\---

_D,_

_I just thought you might also like a letter. Diamondback is not the same without you or the dog around. It mostly just devolves into V shamelessly cheating and then denying it or changing the rules mid-game to accommodate himself. I am assuming the dog found her way to you somehow, perhaps after finding the mansion empty on our usual night...clever girl that she is. If you could please give her my regards via some vigorous ear scritches and scraps from the table, I would appreciate it, and I imagine she would as well._

_Sincerely,_

_F_

\---

_Cully-Wully Curly-Boo,_

_Get bent!_

_Love,_

_The Universe_

_Seriously, though, thanks for finally standing up to Meredith. Listen to Bethany and Aveline or we’re all coming back as ghosts to haunt your dreams._

\---

“Please make absolutely certain that one gets to Ser Cullen!” Isabela smiled. "It's from all of us."

“I’ll see what I can do…” Zevran assured her. “But you _should_ know he fought valiantly against the Knight-Commander.”

“About damn time,” Hawke grumbled.

Fenris nodded thoughtfully. “I do not envy Aveline having to act as mediator between him and the rebel mages.”

“Well, Bethany _can_ simply bat her eyelashes at him and turn him into a gibbering mess, so...”

Fenris chuckled. This was true. He’d seen it happen once or twice. He’d also seen how the Knight-Captain's whole body tensed whenever Hawke or Carver approached him, and how even Leandra had had an effect on him. The man had a weakness for the entire family, seemed.

\---

_Sunshine,_

_Hope you’re doing well and taking care of yourself. Heard things went down, after they went up, so to speak. Glad the good guys won, even if Blondie felt like he had to blow things up to get everyone’s attention...the blighted idiot._

_Your sister’s in good hands, and dealing with...well, everything...but she does miss you, whether she writes it or not. We might be able to arrange something with the Wardens or some of my people to get you to her before ‘it’ happens. I really hope she tells you what ‘it’ is in her letter..._

_Anyway, I wrote another couple of chapters for you to proofread, but it sounds like you’ve suddenly gotten a lot busier than you used to be in the Circle, so no rush. Still, I look forward to your critique, if and when you get a chance!_

_Sincerely,_

_The ‘Bard_ ’

\---

_Aveline,_

_I hope you and Donnic are alright. I heard you fought like a total badass! I’m jealous I couldn’t have been there to see that witch melt (Zevran gave us a very detailed description and a dramatic re-enactment). Thanks for covering for us and for looking after both of my baby siblings, too. I’ve included my “will” in Bethany’s letter. Can you please see to it that Seneschal Bran signs it or makes it official or whatever it is that he does?_

_Fenris kept his promise, by the way. And then some, if you catch my meaning. Now he’s mad that I wrote that. But just know that you don’t have to murder him._

_Miss you!_

_Marian_

_P.S. I’m pregnant._

\---

_Sister,_

_I’m including my will in this letter for you. I’m not supposed to include any identifying information, says Varric -- I’m sorry, I mean ‘the Bard’ -- on account of we’re meant to be keeping a low profile, but he’s still sending chapters of his stupid book to be published, so…_

_Anyway, I’m leaving everything to the dog, but really, to you. You can decide how much you want to give to Carver, even though I know you’re going to give him an equal share or whatever because that’s just how you are. Is he even allowed to own anything other than his Warden armor and a sour face? Whatever you decide to do with it, I just ask that you make sure Orana is taken care of as well. And Pork. Please give her lots of wet slobbery kisses from me. I miss her the most. Please be sure to tell Carver that, too._

_In other news, I’ve grown quite ‘sick of fish.’ Probably somewhere between one and two months, it turns out. So do the math and...surprise! You’re going to be an Auntie or something. I don’t know how any of this works!_

_Also, did you know that Fenris is infuriatingly sweet? Yes, actually...if I recall, you were probably the first one to notice that about him. And I think I’ve been the last. Merrill and Isabela are shacking up, too, by the way. And Varric can go hump a nug because he’s threatening to burn this letter instead of letting Zevran pass it along to you. Nobody cares where we buggered off to! Make sure to tell him that when you write back. Even if it’s not true._

_Love,_

_Mar_

_P.S. I’m glad to hear you all survived Meredith’s insane wrath. I would’ve stayed to fight with you, but these assholes kidnapped me and threw me on a boat! Sounds like Carver actually made himself useful for once, though. I’m proud of you both for saving the world. Dad would’ve been, too...even Mother, once she finished scolding you for fighting Templars and an Abomination without a nice warm coat on. I miss you, Bethy._

_..._

_To whom it may concern,_

_I am dead. Please bequeath my entire estate in Kirkwall to my legal heir, her ladyship, Porcia Hawke, under the stewardship of the next in line for the Hawke-née-Amell inheritance, my sister, Bethany Hawke, having recently liberated herself and all others from the unjust horrors of the Gallows, and currently serving officially as Blessed Badass Savior of Mages and All Decent Folk._

_Sincerely,_

_The (former) Champion of Kirkwall, Marian Hawke_

_(posthumously, obviously)_

\---

“Bran refused to submit your request for Pork to be declared the interim Viscount of Kirkwall. What makes you think he’ll let you name her as your heir?” Varric asked.

“Interim?! Who said anything about _interim_?” Hawke looked scandalized. “I _still_ say Pork would do a better job than any of the other nobles in Kirkwall. Better than anyone, really. But since you bring it up, I’m pretty sure Meredith was the one who put the kibosh on my suggestion, as she had eyes on the Viscount’s seat herself. I stand by my decision to make Pork an official legal member of the Hawke-Amell family line, regardless.”

“I bet Junior appreciates that,” Varric chuckled. “And now that the Circle is no more, where is your sister supposed to live?”

“I’m sure Pork will rent her a room at a reasonable rate. She’s quite generous.”

“As generous as she is slobbering,” Fenris drawled.

“Don’t forget beautiful!”

“Hm, yes…and she _is_ a good girl, isn’t she?”

Varric was looking with disapproval at both of them. “Are we still talking about Hawke’s dog, or…?”

“The dog,” both of them nodded, far too earnestly.

Varric sighed, and handed the stack of letters to Zevran, with enough of the identifying information scratched out, he hoped, to thoroughly confuse anyone who might be interested in tracking them down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pure self-indulgent filler fluff. I am just having way too much fun writing letters between fictional characters.
> 
> Oh, and yes, obviously, most of that last bit of conversation was inspired by this now-legendary Twitter exchange: <https://twitter.com/GrimSister21/status/1230481261858349056?s=19>


	2. From Kirkwall, With Love...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aveline shares a secret with the 'Ghost of the Champion' and Hawke and friends receive news back from Kirkwall.

Aveline thanked and dismissed the Guardsmen who had escorted the small hooded rogue into her office with all the solemnity of someone who had just apprehended a violent criminal. Whoever it was had been flitting in and out of the shadowy corners of the city wielding Hawke’s daggers. They'd gained a reputation for targeting straggling Templars still loyal to Meredith’s genocidal agenda, along with those who would seek to exploit and benefit from the tumult in vile and dishonorable ways, terrorizing slavers and certain members of the nobility alike, and fueling rumors about the Ghost of the Champion, defender of Kirkwall's downtrodden masses amid its most recent upheaval.

Aveline had asked her men to bring the mysterious masked crusader in with a promise of immunity. She _suspected_ she had a message for them.

Aveline’s glare quickly softened into a relieved smile when they lowered their hood and pulled down their mask to reveal a familiar face with flaxen-colored hair and large emerald eyes. 

“Orana...” Her suspicions had been correct. And she was happy to see that Hawke’s former assistant had survived, and apparently been thriving, through the chaos of the past couple months.

“Guard-Captain,” she nodded cautiously toward Aveline. “Is there a problem?”

“You’ve been busy.”

“We’ve _all_ been busy.” 

Aveline peered around her small frame at the daggers slung tidily behind her back. “Where did you get those fine blades?” 

“I found them.” 

“They were Hawke’s.” 

“Yes.” There was no reason to deny that. Aveline had been one of Hawke’s closest friends. Of course she recognized the daggers. But it was hardly a crime to take up the blades of a dead woman. Orana had learned all about ‘finders keepers’ from the Champion of Kirkwall herself. 

“She _may_ be missing them.” Aveline smiled and waited, folding her hands on top of the desk. 

“But she and the others are --” 

Orana fell silent as realization hit her, and Aveline nodded eagerly, barely able to contain her excitement at being able to share this secret with someone else (besides Bethany or Carver or Donnic…or Hawke's dog...or Isabela’s friend Zevran, though he had been the one to question it before she confessed...).

“What do you know?!” Orana demanded, leaning eagerly over the desk with both hands planted firmly in front of her.

“I suppose Hawke found you trustworthy enough...”

She _supposed_?! It was a good thing Orana had learned to mask her feelings from an early age in Hadriana’s household, because the Guard-Captain might have taken offense at the way she suddenly felt about her for waiting this long to fill her in on the fate of Hawke and her companions.

Aveline sighed, apparently settling some internal debate. “They left on Isabela’s ship immediately after the explosion -- Isabela, Varric, Fenris, Hawke, and Merrill.” 

She unloaded this like a heavy burden, looking up almost apologetically once it had been handed over.

But Orana looked dissatisfied. “What about Anders?”

Aveline looked down and shook her head. She knew Orana and he had been close.

Orana stepped back. This wasn’t all that shocking, really. She’d felt his magic, seen it...heard it. And when she’d gone to investigate, she’d found no traces of the others. Only that strange woman with the Orlesian accent, claiming to be a servant of the Divine.

“I arrived just as it happened, just after they did,” Aveline murmured. “It was too late to...intervene. It broke her. She nearly threw herself into the flames. If Fenris hadn’t pulled her away…”

“Yes. I imagine it was quite difficult for her to accept.” Orana knew her old boss almost as well as she knew her daggers. “So you've been lying to protect them?” Orana could forgive this, she supposed.

“Of course! If Meredith had known...well, that wasn’t really a concern after that night, but we couldn’t be sure the Templars or the Chantry weren't going to try to hunt them down. You know there were rumors that the Left Hand of the Divine had been here when it happened?”

Orana’s face flashed with recognition. _Leliana_ , she had said her name was. 

Aveline looked darkly at Orana as she tried to remember what the strange woman had said to her after she’d pulled her out of the rubble of the ruined Chantry. 

“This stays between us, I hope,” the Guard-Captain said, almost threateningly now. She was possibly having regrets about trusting this information to somebody else.

“My loyalty lies with the _former_ owner of these blades. I owe her my life and my freedom," she assured her. "Plus, who would _I_ tell?” She winked.

“Good.” Aveline nodded.

“I only wish to honor the Champion’s efforts to help the downtrodden here in Kirkwall.”

“Is _that_ what you think Hawke was up to?” Aveline chuckled.

“Well, I know she was no saint, but…”

“I _do_ admire the way you’ve embraced and reclaimed her memory for good.”

“She only ever did what she thought was right, and always chose the side of the underdog.”

“I suppose that is true. _Some_ would say if she had been a little less sympathetic, she might have been able to prevent Anders’ attack on the Chantry.”

“Having known Anders, I think you would agree with me that those who would blame _her_ for what he did are idiots.”

Aveline smiled. She hadn’t really meant it as a test, but Orana had certainly passed it, all the same. “Would you like to write to her?”

“You are in _contact_ with her?”

“Just received word from them today, in fact. They are safe. They seem to be doing -- well, they’ve certainly been _busy_.” Aveline shoved one of the letters across her desk to Orana. “See for yourself.”

Orana quickly scanned the letter Hawke had written to Aveline. “Hawke is pregnant? And _Fenris_?”

Aveline nodded. “Seems so.”

“Well, it was obvious there was _something_ weird going on there, but _I_ always assumed he was in love with Anders…”

Aveline shrugged. She had given up on understanding Hawke and their companions’ entwined love lives a long time ago.

“Would you like to take Bethany her letters from Hawke and the others? You can probably slip in and out of the estate unnoticed, yes?”

Orana grinned mirthfully at her. “You’re not going to throw me in jail, Guard-Captain?”

“No.” Aveline grinned back. “And I’ll continue to overlook your involvement with Athenril’s crew in thwarting the slavers and these so-called Red Jennies in...well, I’d rather not speak _here_ about what _they’ve_ been up to.” She eyed the main door to the barracks, open to the foyer and its constant stream of complaining nobles demanding to speak to her or Seneschal Bran. “You’d best leave through the side door.”

\---

_Dear all,_

_You’re quite terrible at this, you know. And I’m not entirely convinced your messenger is to be trusted, but I am grateful to ‘the Whore’ and F for keeping their promises. The good news here is that Meredith is dead, the Gallows are empty, and the city is actually…well, I’m not quite sure how to say this without offending you, but things are going far better than anyone could have anticipated since you left._

_B and C were indispensable in the fight against Meredith and her Templars, and B has proven herself a capable leader in the aftermath, as we attempt to move on and rebuild. You will no doubt be delighted to hear what O has gotten up to, but I’ll let her tell you herself in her own letter (to be included with this and a few letters from B and one from D). Your dog has taken up residence on my sofa, by the way...though D swears he has tried to teach her some discipline. He's certainly been giving her plenty of food and treats._

_I cannot be certain whether or not there is anyone currently looking for you all, but it might still be a good idea to keep a low profile. And no one would blame you if you wished to stay away. Things remain surprisingly peaceful here...for now._

_Love you all (I really do mean it),_

_A_

\---

Isabela came stomping into the Pearl, shaking something off of her boots with a disgusted look before it could soil the floor of the brothel. When she saw the others gathered around their usual table in the corner, she looked up at them excitedly, waving a handful of paper at them. “We just got word back from Kirkwall!” she called out from across the room. 

So much for discretion.

She hurried toward them, only pausing to toss a few coins onto the counter of the bar as the bartender nodded appreciatively.

“There’s a letter here just for you, Hawke...from…”

Hawke instantly recognized the impeccable penmanship of her former assistant. “...Orana!”

“After all the smut I wrote just for her, you’d think she’d be writing to _me_.” Isabela pouted as Hawke pored eagerly over the letter.

\---

_Dear M,_

_First of all, I’m sorry about what happened. I can’t imagine what this has been like for you, but know that I am grieving for him, too._

_Secondly, how dare you! You’re no better than him, you know, if you think it’s fine to just take off without leaving any note and letting me think you’ve been dead for weeks!_

_Anyway, I found your daggers on the steps of the Chantry and have been working with some new ‘friends’ on stuff that A and B can’t officially involve themselves in as the city rebuilds -- mostly keeping slavers away from the newly-homeless and desperate. We’ve also been trading shameful secrets in Hightown for money and food to redistribute to the denizens in Lowtown._

_B told me about your will, and while I appreciate you thinking of me, I am happy to be making my own way off of the money I saved over the years working for you. I FINALLY got my own little apartment, and the people we help are extremely generous. It doesn’t hurt that there’s an awful lot more gold in circulation allofasudden since the Gallows have been cleared out. We might have had something to do with that (don’t tell A). Once things settle down here, I’m thinking of putting some of the money I have left into opening a bakery shop, maybe?_

_You should know that I ran into a strange woman named Leliana after the Chantry explosion who seemed far too interested in your whereabouts for my liking. She said she wasn’t supposed to be there, but that she served the Divine? And she was way too cheerful to have just survived a devastating blast like that. I don’t know...she just gave me a weird feeling, you know? I might have been a bit out of sorts, because I was still under the impression that YOU ALL HAD DIED!!!_

_Please take care of yourself,_

_O_

\---

“So _she’_ s the one they’re calling my ghost! Oh, that’s just perfect. And it seems she’s been causing a lot of trouble for slavers and over-ambitious nobs…’atta girl!”

“I imagine the sudden loss of her ‘employer’ and protector was traumatic enough,” Fenris mused. “She had to choose _something_ for herself. But I am still impressed. It took her considerably less time than it did me.”

“Well, she _is_ a woman. We tend to figure our shit out a little more quickly.” Isabela grinned over Hawke’s shoulder. “Plus, we were giving her lessons on how to be a bad-ass…”

“Mmhmm…” Fenris gave her a look that was far more effective than any words could have been at humbling her, then turned back toward Hawke. “I just hope someone has seen her properly trained to use those daggers. Wouldn’t want anyone just waving them around in the air like a reckless idiot.”

Hawke stuck her tongue out at him. “She always did take better care of my daggers than I did, anyway. I just would love to see her in action with that big heavy dwarven thing I looted off the Carta lieutenant!”

“Well, _that’s_ fun.” Varric made a note to himself to find a way to work this image into his stories somehow.

Isabela handed the next letter in her stack to Hawke. “And here’s one from your sister…”

\---

_Sister,_

_Consider this a letter from both of your siblings, since our brother has already returned to Vigil’s Keep. He did manage to stay long enough to help get me setup in the estate and to claim the master suite as his, even though he’ll only be using it a few weeks out of the year. I may convert it to an infirmary while he’s away, since it has its own attached lavatory. But I still can’t bear to do anything with Mother’s room. We’ll be using the estate as a home for the mages that were displaced by the recent upheaval here (don’t worry, I’ve cleared it with your dog and she has signed all the appropriate paperwork)._

_I assume you’ve been apprised of the situation here, and I don’t care to go over any of the details that led to dissolution of the Circle, but Maker, Mar! If it weren’t for our brother, I don’t know if I’d have survived. We lost so many mages. Orsino, and most of the Senior Enchanters, among them. The City Guard, the Wardens, and even some of the Templars fought at our side against Meredith in the end, and we’ve been working together to pick up the pieces until the Seekers arrive to ‘assess the situation.’ I don’t know what will happen then, but I am optimistic about what we’ve accomplished in the meantime, if not a bit exhausted from playing at leader and diplomat._

_Oh, but forgive me! You have been through so much, too! And I hear the first trimester is always the worst. I wish I could be there to hug you and rub your back and make you eat and drink things you hate and force you to rest, of course (please try to rest!). I know you’d hate it, but secretly love it. I suppose ‘F’ can do all of that in my place, though. And really, how could you resist being coddled by him?_

_Be well,_

_B_

_P.S. Please apologize to V for me! I haven’t had a chance to proofread his manuscript yet...but I will get to it eventually, I promise!_

\---

“That probably means it wasn’t very good.” Varric laughed. “Maker bless your sister, Hawke. She is _far_ too kind.”

Hawke frowned. “I hope she’s alright. It’s not like her to actually _admit_ to being tired.”

“It _could_ be a sign that she’s finally learning to stand up for herself...seems like she’s been doing an awful lot of that recently,” Isabela offered.

“Do you think?” Hawke asked, her brow still furrowed with concern as she stared at the letter.

Isabela rolled her eyes and surreptitiously slid a note across the table to Merrill.

\---

_Dearest ‘M’ and ‘Bels,’_

_I hope you will forgive me for writing just one letter to you both. I miss you dearly, but it warms my heart to read about how the two of you have grown closer through this ordeal. M’s description of what you mean to her is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. And that’s saying a lot considering the type of ‘literature’ you used to smuggle into the Circle for me._

_I find myself unexpectedly sighing over someone new. I hadn’t thought I’d ever really be looking for romance. And to find my interest suddenly awakened in a former Templar. It’s quite silly, really, I know. But I needed to tell someone. I can’t say anymore, of course, because I’m quite certain it’s entirely unrequited and nothing will come of it. But I can always just admire someone from afar, yes? Please don’t tell my sister!_

_I hope to see you both someday soon, and to bask in the glory of your love,_

_‘Sweet B’_

_P.S. Please don’t show this to my sister!_

\---

“And this one’s for you, Sweet Thing!” Isabela passed the last little piece of paper to Fenris.

\---

_Dear F._

_Thank you for the note. It was appreciated. The dog was actually waiting for us when we finally made our way back from the Gallows. Seems she knew, before anyone else did, what had happened. She still spends some of her time at the estate, comforting Bethany’s refugee mages and checking in on her inheritance, but always makes it home to us in time for second dinner. You’ll be happy to know that she has beaten Aveline every time we’ve tried to play cards. Which was exactly once._

_Sincerely,_

_D._

\---


End file.
